The 25 most memorable film performances of 2022
From Michelle Yeoh to Tobey Maguire to Keke Palmer, these are the big-screen MVPs, star-is-born breakouts, and unforgettable cameos from the past year

Actors tend to get a lot of credit when their film is a success—especially this time of year, when that little gold man is looming larger. But in compiling this list, we knew we needed to look beyond just the obvious awards contenders. Sure, we have the likes of Michelle Yeoh in Everything Everywhere All At Once or Cate Blanchett in Tár, but we also felt it was important to train our spotlight on other performances: the new faces who simply jumped off the screen, the cameos we couldn’t stop talking about, and the roles that confirmed an actor is also a movie star. We’re only allowing one performance per film (with one notable exception, since we couldn’t resist!) and we’re including many actors who got bonus points for having a great 2022 elsewhere. Our list, which follows close on the heels of our ranking of 2022’s best films, is all about the 25 buzziest and most memorable film performances, presented chronologically by their film’s premiere date. As always, The A.V. Club encourages any and all agreement or dissent in the comments.